Hershey Introduces Two New Plant-Based, Vegan Products

On Tuesday, Hershey announced two new dairy-free products that will hit stores soon: Reese’s plant-based peanut butter cups and a vegan chocolate Hershey bar with almonds and sea salt. The candies will be made with oats instead of milk.

Teal Liu, brand manager of Better For You, The Hershey Co., explained, “We are excited to introduce these delicious, plant-based options. Our purpose is to create more moments of goodness for consumers. Those moments are now more accessible for chocolate lovers looking for plant-based alternatives.”

According to Fox Business, younger consumers are looking for meat and dairy alternatives or more sustainable products which is increasing the popularity of vegan foods. Fox Business also reported, “Hershey said consumers want choice and are looking for products they consider healthier or with fewer ingredients, including reduced sugar and plant-based options. Hershey also introduced an organic version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in February 2021.”

Hershey is hopping on the plant-based train after some of its competitors, according to CNN. KitKit released a vegan version of its chocolate bar in 2021 and Mondelez acquired the popular vegan chocolate company, Hu, that same year.